Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely support the motion brought forward by the Social Democrats on child poverty. As the country entered the current crisis, 700,000 people were living below the poverty line and 225,000 of them were children. The ESRI sounded a stark warning on a big increase in child poverty this year. Social supports are very important and I support all measures called for in the motion. The Government has committed to maintaining social welfare payments but they are not enough. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul estimates that an individual needs at least €250 per week for a basic standard of living.

I wish to concentrate on a key factor in widespread poverty, namely, the prevalence of low pay and precarious work and the high number of part-time workers who wish to be allocated more hours. Some one in five workers is low paid. Many of them, such as porters, cleaners, catering staff, retail workers, workers in the HSE and other workers across the board, played a front-line role in the pandemic. Dublin is the second most expensive city in the EU in which to live, with only Copenhagen being more expensive. It is impossible to survive on a minimum wage or working part time with limited hours.

Patricia King of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Gerry Light of Mandate Trade Union were absolutely correct to withdraw from the Low Pay Commission. A rise of less than 1% in the minimum wage is a derisory offer. We need to move to the living wage, which currently stands at €12.30. It should be at least €15 per hour. The minimum wage is supposed to be a floor, but for many workers it is a ceiling. In the hospitality sector in particular, it is the maximum wage and the norm, leaving workers to rely on tips, if they get them. In the past, sectoral employment orders were used in areas in which it was difficult to organise workers into unions. This is now a significant problem for workers on low pay or with limited hours and precarious employment. There is a virtual reign of terror by management and workers are afraid to raise their voices, never mind join a union.

The key to combatting low pay and child poverty is a well-organised, unionised work force. Legislative change is necessary to help unions and workers to organise. Two things are required. First, unions should have a right of access to workplaces for health and safety inspections, to check conditions for compliance with labour law and to talk to workers without threats or reprisals by management. Second, workers should have the right not just to join a union, but to be represented by a union of their choice. I raise these issues while fully supporting the motion because as long as we have widespread low pay, we will have widespread child poverty.

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